WEEK 11
Hey there, thanks for joining us for Week 11 of HOMwork 2020!
This past week has been very different from most weeks I’ve sent out HOMwork. The spread of COVID-19 and the rapid change it’s produced in our day-to-day routines is heavy. There’s a lot of unknowns out there, and many of us are facing the probability of weeks alone, along with the possibility of sickness. It’s all a bit scary.
The phrase “control the controllables” has been popping up a lot lately, and this week I want to share a HOMwork assignment that helps us do that, especially as creatives in the midst of lots of unknowns.
It’s times in my life where things have felt particularly dark or scary (hello, first job out of college) where I end up really benefiting from a kind of personal-time audit. And that’s because knowing where the free time is allows me to schedule in things that feed my soul and boost my mental and emotional well-being.
Sometimes that means being extra productive - working on a great side project. And sometimes it’s a pastime that has no discernible purpose other than making me happy - like baking!
I have shared before about how I really struggled at the end of design school and into my first design job. So I started to use all my available spare moments on a side project (Daily Dishonesty) that made me happy. It was funny and subversive and, because I had identified a bunch of little pockets of time in my daily schedule, I worked on it “all day” every day.
I brainstormed on the subway and sketched thumbnails on my lunch break and skipped weekend brunches to finish a piece. My awareness of my schedule - what things were solid and where I had wiggle room - made that project possible in a time when I really needed a fun side project.
And Daily Dishonesty ended up launching my freelance career, so those spare hours ended up being invaluable!!!
Which leads me to this week’s assignment…
Your assignment: Letter or illustrate your daily routine (or just a day in your life!)
When I originally conceived of this HOMwork I was thinking of your regular grind. But many schedules have changed because of COVID-19. So work on whichever schedule makes more sense to you! The routine I chose for my artwork was from a workday.
The point of this assignment is to get a good understanding of how we actually spend our hours. Once we have that info we can figure out how to tweak so we can add in things like rest, passion projects, more meaningful family time, portfolio building, etc.
Engagement tip:
Use your creation as a way to talk about your schedule, how you currently spend your time, and any tweaks you'd like to make. If no tweaks are needed, that's great! The person who best knows what you need...is you :)
*When you share, please keep in mind that well-spent free time looks different for everyone. There’s no “right way,” so no self-recrimination and no harsh judgements, okay?
Don’t forget to share on Instagram with the hashtag #HOMwork2020 and tag me @homsweethom when you post. I’ll be sharing my favorites in my Story all week!
Can’t wait to see what you come up with. Stay safe and healthy, friends!
x Lauren
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P.S. If you've got a spare 90 minutes and want to add some light learning into your schedule, you should check out the recording of my social media webinar for lettering artists and illustrators! Use the code HOMWORK for 20% off through April 1st, 2020 <3
